Pittsburgh 4, Toronto 1
When: 7:00 PM ET, Saturday, November 12, 2016
Where: PPG PAINTS Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Referees:
Marc Joannette, Chris Lee
Linesmen:
Scott Driscoll, Jonny Murray
Attendance:
18668
By The Sports Xchange
PITTSBURGH -- Sidney Crosby kept up his early-season scoring surge with a goal and an assist to support Matt Murray's strong goaltending and the Pittsburgh Penguins extended their dominance of the Toronto Maple Leafs, winning 4-1 Saturday night.
Bryan Rust also had a goal and an assist, Chris Kunitz scored the go-ahead tally with 18 seconds left in the second period and Evgeni Malkin added a power-play goal as the Penguins improved to 8-0-1 in their last nine against the Maple Leafs.
Murray turned aside 35 shots, with several excellent saves just ahead of Kunitz's goal. Murray is 4-0-0 this season with an 11-game regular-season winning streak that dates to 2015-16.
The Penguins are 7-1-1 on home ice this season.
Crosby, only a year after being held to one goal in his first 12 games, now has 10 goals and three assists in nine games. He missed the first six of the season with a concussion.
Crosby was matched against a recent No. 1 draft pick for the second time in five days, and this time had the better numbers. He was held off the scoresheet Tuesday as 2015 No. 1 pick Connor McDavid had three assists in Pittsburgh's 4-3 win over Edmonton, but 2016 No. 1 pick Auston Matthews did not record a point for Toronto on Saturday.
Matthews, who had a record four goals in his first NHL game, last scored a goal on Oct. 25.
With the Penguins up 2-1 in the third, Rust gained space around the net by deftly lifting the stick of defenseman Morgan Rielly to gain control of his own rebound. Rust skated around 6-foot-4 goalie Frederik Andersen and beat him to the short side.
Crosby finished it off by deflecting Brian Dumoulin's knuckleball shot from beyond the circles at 10:14 of the third. The Penguins ended up with 49 shots against Andersen.
Penguins left wing Chris Kunitz was stopped by Andersen from point-blank range with the score tied in the final minute of the second period -- Andersen's best save of the game to date.
But the Penguins kept the puck and kept pressuring, and Kunitz ended up wristing a shot inside the far post at 19:42 during a scramble around the net in which Rust was denied on two good scoring chances in close.
Before that, the Maple Leafs -- coming off a four-goal third period while beating Philadelphia 6-3 on Friday night -- came out and scored quickly again. Top-line left wing Zach Hyman got his second goal in as many nights, a no-look deflection of Matt Hunwick's shot from along the goal line with 1:22 gone that eluded Murray, who was partially screened on the play.
The Penguins couldn't score on a power play late in the first period, but tied it early in the second with the man advantage as Malkin stuffed in a rebound of defenseman Kris Letang's slap shot from center point that deflected off the end boards.
NOTES: The Maple Leafs held an optional morning skate after beating Philadelphia 6-3 on Friday. ... Penguins G Matt Murray started after G Marc-Andre Fleury was in net during a 4-2 loss Thursday against Minnesota. Neither goalie has started more than back-to-back games since Murray returned from a broken hand. ... Penguins coach Mike Sullivan reunited the line of Carl Hagelin-Nick Bonino-Phil Kessel. LW Conor Sheary moved up to C Sidney Crosby's line with Patric Hornqvist at RW. ... F Tom Kuhnhackl returned to the Penguins' lineup after sitting out five consecutive games. ... The Maple Leafs scratched D Connor Carrick, RW Ben Smith and D Roman Polak. Pittsburgh held out C Scott Wilson, LW Tom Sestito and D Steve Oleksy.
Top Game Performances
| Toronto |
|
Pittsburgh |
|
Zach Hyman 1 |
Points |
Sidney Crosby 2 |
|
Zach Hyman 1 |
Goals |
Sidney Crosby 1 |
|
Matt Hunwick 1 |
Assists |
Kris Letang 2 |
|
N/A |
Power Play Goals |
Evgeni Malkin 1 |
|
N/A |
Short Handed Goals |
N/A |
|
Frederik Andersen .918 |
Save Percentage |
Matt Murray .972 |
|
Frederik Andersen 45 |
Saves |
Matt Murray 35 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Shots |
Goals |
Power Play |
Penalty Kill |
Penalty Mins |
Face Offs Won |
| Toronto
|
36 |
1 |
0-2 |
2-3 |
6 |
24 |
| Pittsburgh
|
49 |
4 |
1-3 |
2-2 |
6 |
30 |
Upcoming Games
-
Pittsburgh will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Penguins have a W/L % of .556 after a win and .833 after a loss.
-
Toronto will play their next game at home against Nashville. The Maple Leafs have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .444 after a loss.
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